HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 9. – The “Goldwyn Girls” – an annual selection of beauties that Hollywood likes to compare with the “Follies” choruses chosen by the late Florenz Ziegfeld – were chosen recently.
An even dozen, culled from the ranks of nearly 1,000 candidates, were selected by Samuel Goldwyn, film producer, and designated for roles in the forthcoming Eddie Cantor extravaganza, also an annual institution of the movie colony.
They were Vickie Vann of Philadelphia, Gail Sheridan of Seattle, Gail Goodson of Denver, Eleanor Huntley of Fort Smith, Ark., Dorothy Belle Dugan of Denver, Marcia Sweet of Huntingdon, Pa., Mary Gwynne of Trenton, New Jersey, Charlotte Russell of Woodland, Calif., Blanca Vischer of Guatemala City, Guatemala, Eugenia “Jinx” Falkenberg, born of American parents in Barcelona, Spain, Elaine Johnson of Salem, S. D., and Kay Hughes of Chicago.
That makes Denver the champion beauty-raising city of the United States, with two representatives.
WEST IN THE LEAD
Colorado and Pennsylvania, with two girls each on the list, lead the 48 states. And, sectionally, the west, with four representatives, leads other areas of the country.
Not all the girls actually cam to the attention of Goldwyn via the casting office. A number were “Discovered” in curious ways.
Miss Falkenberg, for example, was an entrant in the Pacific Southwest tennis championship, recently. Goldwyn, a daily visitor at the tournament, saw her, called her for a test and signed her. She is the daughter of Lincoln Falkenberg, noted electrical engineer, and was born in Spain while her parents were there.
So, too, with Gail Goodson. Although she was born in Denver, her father, Dr. Galen Goodson, now is a Los Angeles dentist. And thereby hangs the story.
Eddie Cantor, star of the picture in which these girls will appear, had an aching tooth. He went to Dr. Goodson. The doctor’s daughter was working as an assistant in the office.
NOTICED HER BEAUTY
Relived of his tooth, the actor had time to notice the girl’s blonde beauty. He advised her to see Goldwyn, and left his card.
Eleanor Huntley came from Fort Smith, and enrolled in a community theater course near here. While appearing in an amateur production, a “scout” saw her and arranged for the screen-test.
A commercial photographer found Dorothy Belle Dugan modelling in a woman’s shop. She came here from Denver, to attend the University of California at Los Angeles. She said she had no film aspirations, but began modelling to earn money for her studies. The photographer took her picture; a “scout” saw it, and she was called by the studio.
In numerous instance, selection for the “Goldwyn Girls” has been an important foothold on the movie ladder. Several ingenues who first appeared in this capacity have gone on to contracts with other studios.